Packaging is an important consideration for meat and poultry processors to both protect products and attract customers. Choosing between pre-made bags or producing bags from tubestock in-house provides advantages and disadvantages. A new machine called Versaflex allows processors to make customized bags on demand from tubestock, which can save over 10% on costs compared to pre-made bags by eliminating waste and optimizing inventory. Coveris offers several tubestock solutions as well as the Versaflex machine to give processors multiple packaging options.

1. Packaging is one of the most important product compo-
nents packers and processors must carefully choose to
protect products throughout distribution while also trying to
attract shoppers to choose their products over the compe-
tition’s. Given these considerations, which packaging for-
mat should meat and poultry packers choose – tubestock
that allows them to produce a variety of bags themselves
in-plant on demand…or using pre-made bags? More for-
ward-thinking meat and poultry processors committed to
gaining maximum control over productivity and inventory
costs are choosing tubestock from Chicago-based Cov-
eris for creating customized packaging solutions.
Coveris, which delivers high-performance products for
fresh and frozen food products in both flexible and rig-
id-packaging formats, offers several tubestock solutions.
Thanks to its Clearshield® and Maraflex® vacuum-shrink
tubestock plus Tuff-Tite™ bags, more protein processors
are either using or taking a closer look at creating their
own custom-inked, right-sized bags from tubestock on de-
mand in any quantity to make only the bags they need
only when needed.
CHOOSING THE
RIGHT TUBESTOCK,
SHRINK BAGS
Coveris vacuum-shrink tubestock and shrink-bag packaging solutions add value to meat and
poultry products by optimizing protection and freshness while maximizing shelf-appeal

2. Clearshield® Bone-In Vacuum Shrink Bags for
beef, pork, lamb and veal products have no patches.
This proprietary, co-extrusion technology for bone-
in, fresh red -meat applications delivers maximum
impact through smarter, more sustainable packag-
ing. As a thinner-gauge alternative for institutional
or case-ready packaging, ClearShield® features su-
perior puncture resistance and outstanding sealabil-
ity, along with exceptional clarity and shrinkability.
It provides crystal-clear, haze-free packaging, and
extreme toughness with excellent oxygen and mois-
ture barrier.
Other Clearshield® benefits include:
• Delivers the same, if not better, puncture resis-
tance at half the thickness of traditional patch
bags.
• High-shrink energy provides tighter packages for
retail market.
• No bulky patches are needed to orient to the
meat, which promotes ease of use and ensures
an attractive product display; reduced labor and
material costs with proven leaker reduction.
• Wide sealing range provides outstanding machin-
ability – can be run on existing equipment.
• Offered with 10-color printing for outstanding
vibrancy and shelf appeal.
• SQF level 2 certified manufacturing with a focus
on Food Safety.
• It complies with the standard Food and Drug
Administration/US Department of Agriculture
food-additive requirements for direct food contact.
Ideal for the fresh, refrigerated beef, pork and
lamb packaging, Maraflex® Boneless Vacuum
Shrink Bags feature high-barrier properties, excep-
tional shrinkability and excellent gloss and clarity.
Maraflex® brand tubestock is easy-to-use yet hard-
to-abuse. Available in a broad product portfolio,
Maraflex® bags can meet all boneless-meat needs.
Maraflex® benefits include:
• Excellent oxygen- and moisture-barrier protection
for extended shelf-life.
• High clarity, low temperature shrink (LTS).
• Available in wide variety of widths.
• Broad sealing range allows maximum packing
line speeds.
• Outstanding manufactured seal integrity for re-
duced leakage rates.
• Offered with 10-color printing for outstanding
vibrancy and shelf appeal.
• SQF level 2 certified manufacturing with a focus
on food safety.
• Complies with the standard Food and Drug
Administration/US Department of Agriculture
food-additive requirements for direct food contact.
SEVERAL
SOLUTIONS

3. Tuff-Tite™ clear, white or cream-colored non-bar-
rier shrink bags for chicken, duck and turkey prod-
ucts combine exceptional durability and perfor-
mance with superior graphics, allowing poultry
products a competitive edge from the processing
plant to the freezer.
Benefits include:
• Excellent gloss and opacity; high-end graphics
with up to 10-color process printing.
• Outstanding seal integrity to ensure reduced leak-
er rates; tear-resistant, able to withstand abuse
common in shipping and handling.
• Unrivaled puncture resistance and tensile elonga-
tion for better conforming to irregular shapes and
contours.
New “on demand” solution
In addition to the pre-mentioned packaging
offerings, new tubestock solutions have re-
cently become available for meat packers. On
Nov. 3, 2014, Coveris announced that it is now
involved in a new, more cost-effective way for
meat-packing operators to package their prod-
ucts via a new ‘on demand’ inline/offline bag-
ging machine produced in a partnership be-
tween Coveris and Minneapolis-based Delkor
Systems, a leading US manufacturer of pack-
aging machinery.
The new Versaflex™ machine is designed to
work seamlessly with existing meat-packing sys-
tems and uses state-of-the-art technology to cut
bags to custom lengths from tubestock. Eliminat-
ing the need for large premade bag inventory, the
customization offered by Versaflex™ can also sig-
nificantly reduce waste.
Created to satisfy customer demand for a more
efficient way to reduce costs in their meat packag-
ing, Versaflex™ was designed to work specifically
with Clearshield® and Maraflex® vacuum-shrink
tubestock. Available in both in-line and off-line mod-
els, Versaflex™ eliminates upfront costs, lead times,
pallet minimums, warehouse space, inventory over-
head expenses and shrinkage issues normally as-
sociated with pre-made bags.
“Companies using Versaflex™ should see a sav-
ings of 10 percent or more versus the costs of tra-
ditional premade bags,” said Rebecca Casey, Mar-
keting Director for Coveris’ North American Food &
Consumer Products Business Unit. “Versaflex™ will
help fresh meat packing operations realize both a
cost and a time savings, which will quickly translate
into a positive return on their investment.
“You can save a considerable amount on costs
and optimize inventory by fabricating bone-in bags
in-house,” she adds. “Forget long lead times, aged
bag inventory, product obsolescence and material
waste associated with pre-made bags.”

4. Versaflex™ produces bags in a wide range of siz-
es – from the smallest size of 7” by 12” up to the
largest size of 18” wide by 42”—and everything in
between. During recent performance tests, the ma-
chine was capable of producing 25 bags-per-minute
at the minimum size and 16 bags-per-minute at the
maximum size.
By enabling customers the ability to right-size
their bags, Versaflex™ eliminates waste that must
be trimmed from premade bags. This innovation
supports Coveris’ long-term commitment to bring
solutions to market that enhance customer sustain-
ability.
Each machine is constructed from stainless-steel
and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-compliant
plastic components to allow for the safety of both
meat packers and their customers. Its thermotrans-
fer offset printer is capable of printing EST/Safe
Handling information, as well as a date stamp.
“The name of the machine, which includes ‘versa’
and ‘flex’, gives the customer the versatility they need
to be able to run their production in more efficiently,”
Casey iterates. “It also gives them flexibility. So, if
hogs for the season, for example, are coming in
smaller, the packer can customize the bag length
to compensate versus using the same size bags for
all hogs and generating material waste. This gives
you cost savings not only on materials but also
in inventory – the savings from buying tubestock
versus buying bags – because there’s a conversion
cost to use a bag vs. tubestock. Versaflex™ gives
you the versatility and flexibility to run your operation
the way you need to run your operation.”
Coveris Versaflex™ offline bag machines incorpo-
rate state-of-the-art technology to cut bags to cus-
tom lengths, while a portable stacker/accumulator
collects a preset number of bags. General Versaf-
lex™ features include:
• Robust, stainless-steel plate construction
with NEMA 4x electrical enclosure; precision
heat-sealing mechanism for excellent seal integ-
rity.
• Posi-driven head-lifting mechanism offers fast film
threading and jam-free operation.
• Disk brake provides reliable film tensioning and
no maintenance; servo-film feed for flexible and
accurate bag lengths.
• Recipe-driven touch-screen HMI with ergonomi-
cally located operator pushbutton box.
• Left or right handed film loading.
• Anti-static bars minimize jams.
• Runs proven Coveris ClearSHIELD™ and MaraF-
LEX™ tubestock films.
• Operator and maintenance manual included.
Versaflex™ benefits include:
• Using tubestock creates an efficient, on-demand
bag-making system. Cut and seal the exact
length you need, in the amount you need, when
you need it.
• Producing bags from tubestock allows your op-

5. eration to save 10 percent or more in expenses
compared to inventoried, pre-made bags.
• Bagging equipment eliminates upfront costs, lead
times, pallet minimums, warehouse space, inven-
tory overhead expenses, and shrinkage issues
normally associated with pre-made bags.
• Portable, stacker/accumulator works as part of
a continuous feed system without needing an
operator.
• Enhanced technical service covers you with
trouble shooting, repairs, predictive and corrective
maintenance, overhaul service and much more.
• Pricing options make it easier to get a Versaflex™
machine running quickly.
• Ability to import EST/Safe Handling information,
plus date and stamp.
Versaflex™ safety features consist of:
• Fully enclosed stainless-steel covers.
• Lock-out pins for head-lifting mechanism.
• Lock-out/tag-out ready air and electrical discon-
nect.
• Low-voltage control circuitry with touch-safe ter-
minal blocks.
• Filtered air supply with shut-off valve and dump
valve.
• Two emergency stop buttons.
Multi-solution provider
Having the ability to offer various tubestock op-
tions plus the Versaflex™ solution gives packers
and processors a wide range of choices for their
packaging needs. Key Coveris strengths in food
packaging include:
• Expertise in R&D allows Coveris to develop
tailored solutions to meet specific purposes, such
as shelf-life extension, sustainability and unique
functionality.
• Coveris and Delkor Systems both have a tech-
nical service team to support both the packaging
and equipment teams.
• The integrated Versaflex™ print solution offers
EST/safe handling print capabilities to expedite
packaging delivery to meet critical launch sched-
ules as well as seasonal and promotional dynam-
ics of today’s retail environment.
Coveris is a leading international manufacturing compa-
ny dedicated to providing solutions that enhance the safety,
quality and convenience of products used every day. In part-
nership with the most respected brands in the world, Coveris
develops vital products that protect everything from food to
medical supplies to touch-screen devices, contributing to the
lives of millions every day. Coveris is an affiliated portfolio
company of Sun Capital Partners Inc.
For more information on products and services, call Rebecca
Casey, Marketing Director for Coveris’ North American Food &
Consumer Products Business Unit, Global Flexibles, Food and
Consumer North America, at (773) 756-5233
or visit www.coveris.com.
Rebecca.Casey@coveris.com